Autry exhibit looks at the aviation pioneers who dared to soar

Up, up and away

When this image of the Pleiades star cluster was taken by an unknown photographer in 1900, the Wright Brothers' historic first flight was still three years away. Any thoughts of space travel must have seemed like pure science fiction.

Charles Duke, who soared into the cosmos aboard Apollo 16 in 1972, became the 10th man to walk on the moon. During one of the moon walks, he placed a snapshot of his family on the lunar surface and took this photo.

'SKYDREAMERS'
The history of flight is examined in this exhibit, which is up through Sept. 4 at the Autry National Center, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles. Center hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is $10 adults, $6 students and seniors, $4 children 3-12. Call 323-667-2000 or visit autrynationalcenter.org.
----------------------
Autry National Center
A trio of planes soar above the ocean in "Sky Patrol," a 1939-era photo taken by Robert A. Burrows. The vintage image, from the collection of Stephen White, is part of the Autry National Center's new "Skydreamers" exhibition.

Imagine being around in the 1700s to witness the voyage of the first passenger hot-air balloon, or being at Kitty Hawk in 1903 to snap a photo of the Wright Brothers' first flight. Could you ever have dreamed that by the early 21st century, a man would walk on the moon or that a robotic space probe would view the earth from 3.7 billion miles away? Probably not.

Flight has long fascinated human beings, and some, such as Stephen White, have taken the study to an extreme.

White has collected images and objects regarding the history of flight — and art inspired by our travels into the sky — since 1977. And he has organized more than 150 of his prized pieces into the exhibition "Skydreamers," which currently is on display at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles.

"I've been wanting to do this for a long time," said White, who also has recorded an audio tour for the show. "I had hoped to do something for the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers, but nothing worked out until I talked to (executive director) Jonathan Spaulding at the Autry. He loved the idea."

The central galleries are devoted to the history of flight, but White opted to open with its impact and influence on culture. He struggled with a first offering that would grab a visitor's attention — until he saw The Smashing Pumpkins' video for "Tonight, Tonight." The video is a take off on the early science fiction film "A Trip to the Moon," made in 1902 by George Melies.

With assistance from the Autry, White fused the two films, creating a visual metaphor for the impressive gains in flight technology over the past century.

From there, "Skydreamers" travels to America's first major air show, The Los Angeles International Air Meet in 1910.

"At the time there were only 400,000 people living in Los Angeles, and about half of them attended the 10-day event at Dominguez Field," White said.

Images from the Air Meet on display include some of Louis Paulhan, a French aviator.

"So many pioneers of the time died young, but Paulhan lived long enough to be invited on the first Air France flight from Paris to Los Angeles in 1960," White said.

Many of Paulhan's contemporaries died in crashes, either testing new planes, or because they opted for the job of daredevil. White has included some action shots of those wild men and women of the sky, including Art Smith, who was known for flying in stunt shows at night, using flares attached to his plane. Smith became a U.S. postal pilot for an overnight mail delivery route, and he died in a crash in 1926.

The history section begins pre-photography, with drawings of early balloon experiments. Next were gliders, such as the ones built by Otto Lilienthal, who died after a fall when his glider stalled.

The major firsts are there, from the Wright Brothers' first flight to Bessie Coleman, the first African-American female pilot. Visitors will also learn about the first animals in space, as well as the first men and women.

Exploring space took a leap forward with the Hubble Telescope, so White opens the section "Space Photography" with images taken by the telescope in 2004.

"At the time scientists thought they were looking at the beginning of the universe, but they have since realized that space extends far beyond," White said.

The final section, "View of the Earth From Above," features art works inspired by space.

The last picture was taken in 1990 from Voyager 1.

"They turned the camera toward Earth, and it is barely visible as a pale blue dot," White said. "It's profound."

The photo inspired the late astronomer Carl Sagan to write the following:

"Look again at that dot. That's here, that's home, that's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."

White hopes those who experience "Skydreamers" will have feelings similar to Sagan's.

"It's about the history of flight, but there's more to it," he said. "It makes you think about our role in the universe, or if we even have one."